weekend wishlist: uncommon goods

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Since we moved in to our new place a few weeks ago, we've working non-stop to de-blue the space.  The seller had painted the whole place (even the closets and bathrooms!) a very sad shade of blue-gray that I have been calling "Eeyore Blue."  Many, many coats of primer later, our living room is finally super white and ready for us to start working on the design and decoration of the space, not just the sad wall color.  This is where Uncommon Goods comes in to help freshen up our home decor.

one: Micro-Green Kits.  We finally have some outdoor space, so I'm excited to see what we can actually grow on our fairly windy balcony.

two: The Bicycle Encyclopedic Print.  My beloved Linus is stored downstairs with all his bicycle cousins, but this print combines three of my favorite things: clean graphics, encyclopedias, and bicycles.

three: Geometric and Honeycomb Pillows.  Our collection of assorted couch pillows could really use an upgrade.  And obviously the answer is hexagons.

four: Vintage Camera Pillows.  Another acceptable answer to the pillow question is vintage cameras.

five: Photobotanicus Fern Statement Pillow.  Since my mister is a bit plant-obsessed, this ferny pillow would fit right in.

six: Rope Knot Doorstop - Twine Ball.  Since we live in a highrise, the corridor to the elevator is pressurized, so when we open the balcony door we create a serious wind tunnel.

seven: Astral Wall Hangings.  These are just so pretty and have a great mid-century cocktail hour vibe.

p.s. This post is sponsored by Uncommon Goods, but I wholeheartedly support their mission to have a positive impact in the world and their workplace.  I am all for fair wages and gorgeous objects.

dotty, unnecessary hashtags, and a whole lot of ikea

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it's been a little while since i posted any photos of our home and since we just signed up for another year in our sunny, below-market-value-because-it-is-not-that-close-to-the-train apartment, so i thought it was about time to share some of my favorite little pieces.

p.s. how cute is it that those cacti look like a couple on vacation posing for a photo and waving at the camera?

#partytimeallthetime
paper lanterns from ikea + spray-painted leftover table numbers from our wedding


  #flylikepaper
ikea clock + discontinued blik paper airplanes wall decals
 


#bedsidemanner
ikea headboard + target pillowcase + west elm nightstand



#rainingonmyparade
ikea shower curtain



#thesisshmesis
a chunk of my master's thesis + eames rocker + ikea furryness

tour: living room

we recently added a loveseat to our furniture collection which turned our one-couch-facing-the-television setup into a delightful L of seating.  i keep talking about how exciting this is to my mom and sister, but since neither of them will come visit us (they have pretty good excuses: a broken toe and a bajillion children) i figured it was time for some photos to pop up on the bloggity-blog!



the view from behind the big white couch.  there are yellow dinosaurs all over since they were all over our wedding reception and traveled back to chicago with us after the festivities.  one of our friends once described our apartment as hide-and-seek for graphic designers.  when i grow up i want to be a graphic designer, so i love this description.


everyone that visits asks us if we own this racehorse.  we do not.  we just really like his sassy demeanor.



plants for days.  my husband really likes having the windowsills littered with potted plants.


drinkies in the bar cart.  and sir hiss protecting the grenadine.




as much as we love each other's faces, we decided that a life-size portrait from our wedding was not really our thing.  instead, we opted for a few framed mementos from our big day.  our first dance is on the left, the venue is on the right (in glare), and out of the frame below is my backup veil smushed into a picture frame.


the newest member of the living room family.  so tweedy.  so grayey.


the loveseat is a karlstad from ikea, but we replaced the chunky legs with midcentury style ones from this etsy store.  it was a total game changer.  like seeing someone who normally wears t-shirts in a tuxedo.


bookcase storage.  and our grayscale books.


vintage herman miller eames chairs.  i like these chairs more than the aeron i have at work.


pillow and blanket time.


reflections of plants in a botanical print.


our giant mirror is also in this room.  (yes, mom, if our nieces ever show up at our doorstep we will triple anchor this to the wall before they make it up the three flights of stairs.  they have short legs and i keep our drill bits handy.)

the triangle wall.  this is just yellow vinyl cut into triangles and then adhered to the wall using some creativity and a laser level.


[wearing]

tee: dex
scarf: banana republic (exactly)

friday five: dining room tour

this friday, we're taking a tour of our dining room.  since we upsized to a new apartment in august, we've been slowly filling in our furniture gaps and adjusting to not being smushed.  so, here's five bits of the space:



print is in an ikea frame, antlers are from the boy's dad and painted with krylon "school bus yellow" spray paint, ikea lack shelf in white



photograph on the left is of canterbury cathedral, sailboat print is a marushka, matted print is a woodblock print done by the boy's mom, comic is from nicholas gurewitch's perry bible fellowship, pot is from ikea, bookshelf is expedit also from ikea



chair is a 4-leg base herman miller eames molded plastic chair in light blue, an ikea rens throw, and an ikea koldby cowhide on the floor



butcher block tabletop from ikea finished with mineral oil, painting on the wall beyond is acrylic on masonite



chandelier is covered in snow camouflage (last seen here in sheet form)

friday five: home

oh, hi! i'm going to try something new where on fridays i make of list of five things i like. i'm not really sure where this will go, but it seems like a good spot for non-outfits to hang out.  this week, the five things are snippets of our home.



1. our picture ledge.  
it needs some work still, but i like the direction it's headed in.



2. our bedroom window.  
the cut layer is snow camouflage and the paper lamps have been following the boy for years.



3. our kitchen clock and lightbulbs.  
the lights are a blik wall decal.



4. couch pillow tableau.  
the furry one is a new friend that mysteriously ended up in my cart at target.

5. spring scarves in my closet.  
all the winter ones have gotten pushed to the back.  

dotty's house

i'm leaving my little grad school home soon to move to the big city, so i thought i would share some of my favorite pieces of it. 

living room

front door

mirrors are from ikea (five years ago) and curtain panels are also ikea. 

living room chair

glider rocker is from 1990s, print pillow from ikea, buffet in the background is a family antique.

side table

table is lack in black from ikea, couch is extorp from ikea, white pillow is handmade, white books are mostly from grad school, bench in the background is a family antique.

big chair

diamond-print chair is from my childhood, pillow is handmade from ikea canvas.

kitchen

top shelf

utensil holder is a plant pot from ikea, bowl is vintage pyrex, frame is ikea, photograph in it was taken in chicago.

beadboard wall

shelving is expedit from ikea, watercolor by my paternal grandmother.

inside the shelves

wine glasses are a remnant from my sister's wedding, frames are from ikea, images are my own.

fridge

inefficient fridge from the previous owner, square photos are all mine printed cheaply and cut down to squares.

dining room

over the table

chandelier from ikea, frame from somewhere in nevada, print is wrapping paper.

window sill

collected mason jars with tealights

corner

plant pots from ikea, lack table also from ikea, plants from my mama.

(i take a lot of my outfit photos in the opposite corner)

bathroom

towel print

terrycloth from target

shampoo and conditioner

empty lotion bottles from amazon, vinyl boat letters from ebay

bedroom

dresser top

canvas from blick with handpainted letters, vintage frame and self+friend portrait from our roadtrip last summer

bed wall
dotted canvas painted last fall, lamp from ikea.


walls are benjamin moore pearly gates, macadamia nut, key west ivory, and dijon.  
trim is all benjamin moore white01.